For two months I am the resident yoga teacher at the Mount Mahabharat Homestay in Bethanchok, a community of homes on the hillsides outside of Dhunkharka, a small village in the Kavre district of Nepal, about 50 km southeast of Kathmandu.
Opening my heart to what blessings may come… staying warmed by a fire during our late afternoon forest meditation.
Because the majority of guests are independent travelers, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with each one on a deeply personal level, and to offer yoga and meditation classes tailored to their interests and needs. So far my students have ranged from complete beginners, to people with significant body injuries needing modifications, to those actively practicing and pursuing yoga as part of their lifestyle, and those who have a dedicated meditation practice. But since I’ve been able to have intimate conversations with people about their experience, aims and goals, the classes I’ve been able to offer have been personalized and deeply touching in a way that I haven’t achieved before in a studio setting.
The schedule is fluid. Tea-time is at approximately 7:30, and breakfast is somewhere between 9:30 and 10. This can fluctuate based on whatever else may be happening in the meta-world around us - with the family, with other things out side. Class begins at 8ish, so that we can have tea. Each class begins with a meditation. I invested in a truly amazing singing bowl when I went to Kathmandu, so I’ve been doing sound meditations to start. Then we practice some pranayama (breathwork). These set the stage for asana practice. Each sequence is built around individual students’ needs. It is energizing, challenging, and meditative. Because of the rapport we build, I’m able to be very attentive to students needs in terms of breath work and alignment. At any point we can stop and break down poses. We are able to just move with the flow of the feel of the day... some days I’ll do a gentler Hatha class, other days an energizing Vinyasa flow, or a more disciplined and alignment focused Ashtanga-inspired class. Right now I am so grateful for both the depth and breadth of my yoga training, as it is all synthesizing for me to be able to lead beautiful and individually-tailored experiences.
Depending on students’ interests we’ve been doing an additional yoga or meditation focused activity in the afternoons. This has manifested as afternoon yoga play with arm balances, inversions, and the like, and several walks into the beautiful surrounding forest-jungle that surrounds us. While morning meditations have been guided, these forest meditations have been silent - observing the world around us and our place in it, feeling gratitude to just be in this incredible landscape.
Clare (UK), Leona (Switzerland), and Hannah (Austria) sit quietly in meditative reflection during a forest hike to a nearby waterfall.
These classes are truly special and unlike any I’ve taught back at home in a studio situation. Even back at home when I’ve had small classes of 1-2 people, they have not had the intimate feel of the classes I’ve taught here. Right now I’m feeling super-addicted to continuing to be able to teach yoga like this. The feedback I’ve gotten, through both the words and the shining eyes and glowing faces of my students after class finishes, has also been outstanding. Reflecting on this, I feel like my capability in teaching yoga and guiding meditation has also blossomed into a new level, and its even more exciting to be able to share with people to help them create a peaceful and graceful heart, a lightness of being, and a groundedness in purpose.
You are - exactly - where you need to be.